OT/Scanner Issues?! HELP!
 

I just replaced a 7 yr old hp all in one printer/scannier/copier with the latest and the greatest hp 8600. The scan quality absolutely sucks?! Does anyone else have this unit? Can anyone suggest a cheap flatbed scanner only unit that takes great scans of cardboard?

You want a CCD element scanner which should be stated in the specifications. That being said, many are very happy (as am I) with the Canon scanners.

Canon 5600, Canon 9000F

http://www.amazon.com/Canon-2925B002...rds=canon+5600

http://www.amazon.com/Canon-CanoScan...ds=canon+9000f

CIS scanners suk for slabs or items "off the glass'. Regardless of the settings.

CCD scanners are what works best.

There is an old thread on this topic.

Those all in one printer/scanners are designed to scan paper. There are basically two types of scanning technology in consumer level scanners, CIS and CCD.

CIS is in 99% of all-in-ones. Great for paper flat on the glass, no good for scanning slabs or anything 3-dimensional.

CCD is the way to go and you won't go wrong with just about any Canon, Epson, or HP with CCD. This will mean buying a dedicated scanner though.

For what its worth I have two - an Epson 4490 Photo and a Canon 8400F. Both cost about $150 when new 4-5 years ago and do a great job of scanning raw cards, photos, baseballs, and slabs. You can through just about anything at them.

You can go under $100 but you really do get what you pay for.

I've heard several positive things about the Epson V series scanners from other posts on collecting boards.

Hope that helps.

Pete, I bought an Epson V33 not long ago $68 shipped.
Here is an example:

http://photos.imageevent.com/mhgt/ho...20portrait.jpg

thanks guys...I guess I'll need another f'ing device!!!!!!!

nice Mike!!!!!!

I've got the Epson V33 as well, dirt cheap and does everything.

Again...thanks guys...I just ordered a v33. I should have done my homework first!!!!:(

I just replaced my old HP laserjet printer with a Canon all in one. Unfortunately, the scanner is not CCD and sucks on slabs so I am keeping the old flatbed scanner too, just for slabs.

Another good reason to hate slabs...

alrighty guys...I just hooked up my v33 from amazon for $63 w/free shipping w/amazon prime.

My first scan was at 300 dpi I believe and I wasn't very happy with the results. I changed it to 800 dpi and it took a long time to scan...scan looks nice...but I believe the file is too big for net54.

Can anyone suggest what settings are optimal for both eye appeal and ability to post here.

Thanks for any help!

Hi Pete, mine is set at 300 dpi on full auto mode.

thanks mike...i suppose it's ok...looks like the 8 yr old hp all in one that i got rid of thinking technology rendered it "old"...now I had 2 separate units...and the quality seems similar!!!!!

I scan everything at 600dpi for clarity (it eliminates any odd patterns due to various forms of dot-based printing), then just do a bulk resize of the resulting images. I usually resize down to 1000 pixels on the longest side, unless I have some need for a larger image. That typically leaves me with files in the 90-120kb range, but manageable size and reasonable quality.

You may just need to go in after you do the scan and resize the photo in your computer to get it to work for net 54. I have the same issue when trying to post to net54 and my wife always does this for me. Otherwise it says file download failure.

When i get a chance i will try that...thanks!

Based on recommendations here and at FreedomCardboard, I picked up a Canon 9000F. Very nice scanner! Very fast, too as compared to the old Visioneer I was using. Does anyone have any suggestions on how to get better results from cards with reflective surfaces? I had a really old SCSI Umax scanner that did great with cards that had foil or anything reflective, but this 9000F doesn't seem to do much better than my Visioneer. Foil still comes out very dark. I really don't want to have to fire up the Win98 laptop just to scan shiny cards with the old Umax.